The Muses
by EmikoAqua
Summary: The story starts with Akali and Kennen follows Shen into Piltover where Jhin has been spotted after having broken out of jail. Her confrontation leads her into a meeting with Zed. All players start to doubt their noble intentions.
1. The Encounter

Akali threw her kamas across the room and let out a loud sigh, unmoved by the loud clank made by its force against the wall. She waited three long seconds before recollecting her emotions, walking over to where her kamas lay and a dent in the wall as evidence of her blinding rage. She picked them up and neatly laid them against the wall before taking a seat in the uncomfortably plush chair of a hotel room in Piltover.

Ripping the rugged elastic out of her long black hair, she pressed her fingers against her temples deep in thought, reminding herself to control her emotions. Lately, gruesome murder after murder had occurred within Ionia and Piltover. The bodies even made her, a senior member of the Kinkou Order, overly repulsed. The murders were inexplicable: doors locked from the inside, no witnesses, not a single footprint—except for lotuses left behind on the mutilated bodies as a sign of an artist signing his work. There was no coincidence.

Her thoughts were interrupted immediately by a familiar voice.

"I thought your training would've taught you better."

Akali did not need to turn to hear Shen come into the room. From the corner of her eye she could see his tall shadowy figure picking up her weapons to inspect any damage and felt mildly embarrassed at the thought of him having witnessed her silly outburst.

"Don't people knock before entering a woman's room" she curtly replied.

"Gender has no role in the Kinkou Order."

She did not respond, still embarrassed. Looking down at her hands folded across her lap, she braced herself for his lecture, but was surprised to hear him dive straight to the point.

"I did not ask you to chase Jhin here" said Shen, still inspecting her kama, running his thumb over a small golden scratch.

"I understand, but you are going after him alone." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. Akali was aware of Shen's rooted hatred for the man, immediately regretted having said that.

Of course Shen wasn't alone. Zed was sure to be close by chasing the same target and in her heart, she knew she was more afraid of how a meeting with Zed would go than with Jhin.

He clenched his fist for a brief moment and then placed the kama back against the wall where he had picked it up, calmly turning to face her unmasked pursed lips.

"You were not asked to be here" he said again with more sternness in his voice. "In fact, you were sloppy tonight."

She had not invited him as an audience to witness her poor tailing skills of the Virtuoso, but of course he would be watching from a distance. She felt even more ashamed at her failure tonight. Akali had sat through Jhin's theatrical performance in the center square. His face had branded a different mask from usual, but his style was still the same—a style only those who have studied him would be able to remember and ingrain. His love for performing did not die after being freed from jail, but she calculated there would be too much civilian causality if she were to deal a killing blow in the middle of his public show. After the wild crowd had dispersed, Akali had followed the masked murderer from the public square all the way across the city just to lose him in a dead end. If he could disappear from the honorary Fist of the Shadow that easily, then surely he was already aware of her presence during the performance, probably relishing in her frustration over her inability to act immediately in public. Furthermore, Akali knew she had jeopardized Shen's quest.

"I cannot say anything that will make up for my failure tonight" she said quietly. She immediately kneeled on the ground with her head hung, a sign of begging for forgiveness. Her back was slumped forward and her knees pressed against the soft red carpet.

Shen darted his eyes away from her pitiful appearance, unwilling to see his friend so rarely apologetic to him. "Get up."

She rose slowly, unsure of what to do from now on. Would it be right to return to the temple without him? What if he were to have a standoff against Zed? She shuddered, reliving the moment when she saw her friend for the first time lose so much of his control, descending into a terrible rage against Zed. For all his life, Shen was the idol of hundreds of students, including her, for never letting his emotions compromise his mission. To see his first wavering moment of resolve was shocking and uncomfortable. Yet, it was probably even worse for Shen himself, realizing his position in the Order and the failure of his discipline. Even now, he still felt a prickling of anger resurface every time Zed's name was mentioned.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts immediately. Of course Shen was still powerful. He was the best.

Realizing her defeat, she picked up her weapons and bowed to him before disappearing in a wave of smoke out of the hotel room.

Shen stared into the wisps of smoke left behind by her spell. He sighed quietly. _I just don't want you to be hurt by anyone._

He looked around the hotel room where she had been hiding alone: a flashy top floor room with ground to ceiling windows and pink flowy curtains. She had checked out a large king sized bed with soft satin blankets and a large pristine bathtub with golden knobs. This whole room was the very opposite of Akali which is why it made it the perfect place for her to stay, trying to hide from Shen's view, but he had found out immediately when she had checked into the hotel disguising herself as a nurse.

"At least change your alias, Akali," he whispered under his breath. He picked up her fake medical ID card that was still left on the coffee table. Despite her vigorous training and outstanding results back at the temple, she was still very new to disguise. She needed more training.

He closed his eyes, willing the impure thoughts that had started to gather in his mind. Having watched her grow up, she was a dear part of his family without being related. Yet, he had become increasingly aware of her femininity. Despite his comment on gender playing no part in her duties, even he could not ignore her beauty under her mask and the way her bright grey eyes stared into his during the night or even her soft black hair as it brushed against him when she walked past. _Why don't you cut your hair, Akali?,_ he thought to himself. _It's a hazard if your hair is used against you in combat._

Two weeks ago, he had worked furiously to track down Jhin, compiling lists of contacts and newspaper clippings. He had done extensive research into Jhin's tactics of murders, studying each body carefully, outlining the scrapes of bullets and slashes. He had become obsessed at the chance of capturing Jhin.

Not to mention his chance to meet with Zed as he surely would be back for Jhin as well.

As much as Shen did not want to admit it, his obsession had less to do with persecuting Jhin, but more to do with an open chance to meet with his greatest rival. He would never admit it to anyone.

Even so, Akali probably knew all of this and recognized both Jhin and Zed as completely powerful opponents. When word of a nurse had arrived into the luxury tourist hotel of Piltover, Shen automatically knew it was Akali and his focus became watching her movements to figure out what her plan was to make she was still safe by the end of the day.

His mission quickly shifted to _protecting_ _her_. And he wanted her out of the city. She was lucky that Jhin was aware of Shen's lingering presence on the rooftop. Otherwise he might have turned around for Akali.

Did she even realize she matched the physical description of the last ten women Jhin had murdered?

* * *

Akali stumbled away from the glittering flashy hotel. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling the weight of all the work she had done today and regretted the big luxurious hotel room she had checked out. Akali was used to simple tatami mats, not luscious memory foam mattress. She felt more comfortable sleeping on a soft patch of grass than the unusual comforts of the city. Her thoughts were disturbed by a strong confident voice.

"It's dangerous at this time of night for a civilian."

A police officer pulled up her motorcycle beside Akali, her large metal fists held onto the handles, smiling warmly at her. She tipped her hat with an emblazed "Piltover Police" badge. "We've been getting a lot of murder reports of young women with black hair lately. I'd say—"

A large rifle smacked the back of Vi's head, and she yelped before recovering. She pouted rubbing the spot. "What the hell, Caitlyn. That actually hurt this time."

Caitlyn, another officer, stepped off her motorcycle and furrowed her eyebrows at her colleague. "Please stop scaring the civilian," she warned, her voice was tense. "We don't need another huge panic; we already have your sister for that." She turned to Akali, and took a few steps forward, her long legs gliding towards her. She looked her up and down suspiciously and frowned. "My colleague here is still correct. The streets have been very dangerous lately and we are looking for a known criminal. I am sure I can catch the them, but until then, you need to take more precaution. I suggest you retire tonight." She held out her hand. "May I see your ID?"

Akali took a moment to register the officer's demand, snapping out of her surprise and ruffled through her dress trying to find her nurse ID. Then she remembered: she had left it in the hotel room.

"I'm sorry, officer," she mumbled. "I left my ID back at the hotel."

Caitlyn dropped her hand to her side and rested her rifle on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but Piltover laws say those without proper identification must be taken down to the station for verification." She wrinkled her nose and added, "I assumed a nurse from out of the city would have been briefed about our laws."

Vi gave a disapproving look towards Caitlyn then shot a pitiful look at Akali, wringing her hands in defeat while motioning, _can't argue with the boss._

Akali waited two seconds then unleashed a puff of grey smoke.

"W-what?!" blurted Caitlyn. She and Vi coughed up a storm as the smoke covered the entire street. The large full moon above the city was unable to penetrate the thick cloud. It only lasted for ten seconds, but by the time it cleared, Akali had already disappeared.

Caitlyn let out a loud irritated noise. "What kind of nurse knows disappearing techniques? I'm not letting any secret ninja-or-whatever operation run in this city right under my nose!" She got on her motorcycle and sped right down the street back towards the station.

Vi was left in a puff of smoke by the vehicle and coughed some more. "H-hey. Wait for me, Cait!" Her motorcycle rumbled beneath her and drove off following her direction.

* * *

Kennen had been sitting on the rooftop waiting for a few hours now. He stared into the moon, counting the stars with his tiny fingers. He let out a worried sigh while checking the time. Akali was late for their rendezvous. He could not help thinking of the worst case scenario.

"Kennen."

He let out a high pitched scream and pranced up in less than a second ready to strike. Then he recognized Akali's face.

"I almost just electrocuted you!" he said exasperated. "Why do you keep creeping up on me?"

"Why are you still surprised?" she retorted. She folded her arms across her chest and walked over to the edge to inspect the dimly lit street beneath them.

He gave a weak smile, grateful that his friend had come safely if not a little late.

"I was held back by some police officers. They seemed to know a lot about Jhin. It seems that he has been targeting females with black hair." She paced back and forth and gently ran her fingers through her own hair which was already touching her tailbone. She was considering their options. "We could infiltrate their station and learn what they know."

Kennen watched her walk in circles with hopeful eyes, getting excited at the idea for another infiltration. It had been awhile since he had done any information gathering and he had been grounded at the base for so long he had missed working on the outside. "Yeah, those officers are pretty big jokes compared to the Demacian base we finished before. Is Shen gonna meet us there?"

Akali stopped, completely forgetting the direct orders given to her by him. Kennen noticed and frowned. He sighed in defeat. "He said we had to go home, didn't he?"

Akali bit her lip, looking down at her worn out shoes. "He already knew we were here as soon as we got here. He will definitely find out if we break into a Piltover police station no doubt."

"Look Akali," started Kennen slyly. "He's technically _not_ higher rank than us yet. I mean..." She shot him a blistering look and he shut up immediately.

She then turned her gaze towards the moon, letting the light bathe her, but almost snorted at the dusty air filled with metal and chemicals. Piltover was the center of engineering and creation. The city was filled with bright intellectuals creating new inventions to change the city. Everything about Piltover was new to Akali who was used to candlelight for electricity, blankets for a heater, and campfires for stoves. Despite the luxuries that the city had to offer, she felt very out of place and could feel her training at the Kinkou temle would not be nearly enough to prepare her for this.

Meanwhile, Kennen felt right at home, happy at the loud bustles of car honks and machinery. It reminded him of Bandle City, minus the yordles. He was ready to get a move on and explore more of the streets. "I know you're worried about him" said Kennen, covering his yawn. "But honestly, it's Shen we're talking about. He's gonna be a-okay with or without us, but it certainly would be more fun with us."

Kennen had not been there to witness Zed and his meeting. He wouldn't know what an encounter between those two would mean for the order. Thinking about Zed, she gritted her teeth, then quickly snapped out of her anger, flooding with worry. Ever since stepping into this city, her emotions had become haywire. Where could Jhin be—

A piercing shot whizzed right past her ear right into the middle of Kennen's forehead. With wide eyes, he fell backward collapsing down the side of the building.

"Kennen!" yelled Akali. She turned around to see where the shot had come from, but then felt a cold piece of metal press against her back.

"You're very lovely." Jhin whispered an inch away from her ear, a hand cupping her chin. She felt disgusted by his big cool hands touching her face. His mask was always contorted into a smile, but she could feel his widening grin underneath. "You'll be my next muse."


	2. Revelation

Zed never took his eyes off of his prize.

The sight of Akali had caught him a little surprised. He had not expected her to show up tonight. There was Jhin standing in the flesh right in front of him, his metallic hand gripping Akali's chin and a pistol snug against her back. He stopped himself from acting, waiting in anticipation for each of Jhin's elegant movements. It was time to finally do what he should have done years ago: rip the nonexistent heart out of this man.

Zed was hidden in the shadows atop a building higher than where his prey was standing. He had been watching Jhin all night, following his every footstep, trying to make sense of why he had traveled so far to Piltover after his escape. As soon as word had reached his temple that Jhin was broken out of prison, Zed had quickly picked up on his trail. It He had only just arrived into the city tonight and already was greeted by the sight of his target and, of course, his old ex-friends.

He was emotionless. Their friendship had long since been dead and he was waiting for the perfect moment to exact his revenge on the Order which had failed him. Watching Akali's face overcome with terror did not move him to act. He was only surprised to see her; that was it.

Or at least, that was what he was telling himself.

When Zed had first entered into the temple, Akali was the first person to talk to him. After several lessons and his talent had been revealed, she would follow after him, constantly demanding sparring matches and lost every one. Zed didn't mind that growing up; he wanted to keep practicing and was amused that he had become like a second teacher to her. They began to do everything together, and he savored his friendship with her. When he had vented his frustration to her over the Master's favoritism, she had comforted him, telling him the best way was to keep training harder. When they were younger, they often sneaked out of their dormitories to see each other. In fact, he had honestly loved her. Of all people, he had thought she would see it his way. When he had asked her to learn the forbidden techniques with him—to forget about the Kinkou Order and just have each other—she had turned him away, and did not bother to even look at him in the eye as he walked out of temple, banished from the Order forever.

Jhin jabbed the back of his pistol against her skull and she fell into his arms easily falling into unconsciousness. He let out a low chuckle to himself and proceeded to leave the rooftop. Zed gave him a few seconds head start and began following through the shadows, careful not to let go of his position and staying close to the darkness.

They were at street level, the lamps barely lighting the sidewalk. The Piltover police's recent criminal warnings had effectively kept the streets free of any soul who dare walk at this late hour. _Pity,_ Zed thought. _If someone was here they could see him walking right in the middle of the street._ His eyes never faltered off of Jhin. He wouldn't let the serpent sneak away today.

"Help…"

He looked down towards the voice and spotted Kennen, bleeding off the side of curb, his body against a flickering lamp post.

"D-don't hurt Akali…" Zed stopped, emerging from the shadows to face Kennen under the dim light. His posture was straight and his blades gleamed.

"Curious you still live" he said calmly.

Kennen coughed blood on Zed's shoes. He did not falter at the sight of his former comrade. He had seen much bloodshed over the years, but nothing compared to the gross mutilation of Jhin's victims. All those years ago, he still had perfect images of those women's bodies contorted in all directions, with body parts ripped and missing. He could not stop to talk to this fool now.

"She still cares about you" Kennen coughed while spitting out blood. "She still hopes for you."

Zed scoffed in reply. "Her ignorance and dedication towards 'balance' is nothing I want to trouble myself with." He turned and walked away from Kennen's dying body. Then, he paused and thought for a few seconds before adding, "but she is not my target tonight." Then, he stepped back into the darkness and was gone.

A few moments later, Kennen heard fast footsteps approaching him. He closed his eyes.

"Kennen!" shouted Shen. He bent down and scooped the yordle gingerly in his arms. "By the Gods, what happened to you?!"

"J-Jhin has...Akali…"

Shen turned pale white. He darted his head to look up and down the street, but no one was there. He couldn't even hear a sound. Worry and panic started to seize him. He felt cold sweat start to form.

"J-just go after them." Kennen coughed again, feeling weaker by the second.

"No, I won't leave you like this!" Shen felt a surge of anger sweep over him. He gritted his teeth, but could not hold back his shout of rage. "The first priority is to get you to a hospital." With that, he darted down the street.

Zed had recognized the shout immediately and stopped for a few moments registering the sound of anguish from his rival. Then, he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, watching Jhin.

The Virtuoso had also heard Shen's cry and let out a hearty laugh in the middle of the street. He was almost skipping with joy. "Looks like the sneaky little fool finally found his comrade." He chuckled and continued to glide down the street, Akali still in his arms.

For Zed, it felt like he had been tailing Jhin for almost half an hour. He was beginning to become impatient, resisting every urge and opportunity to plant two daggers into the monster's spinal chord. The tailing continued until they reached the port of PIltover. Indeed, he had followed the Virtuoso across the entirety of town. Jhin pranced along to the forth warehouse along the wharf. Not a single guard was keeping watch boats drifted slowly in the waves, tightly secured with rope with no inhabitants.

Zed analyzed the warehouse from afar. He had a talent for judging the climate of battle. Analyzing the area, he noticed one windowless entry point. Wasting no time, he darted through the shadows, allowing not a second of exposure to the moonlight, and ended up pressed against the wall of the warehouse. He then scaled the prickly wooden wall. Without a sound, he entered the warehouse, and was surprised.

The warehouse was empty. Jhin and Akali were gone.

Akali slowly opened her eyes in a daze. She tried register where she was, but her vision was too blurry. Then, she remembered watching Kennen fall of the rooftop then Jhin's pistol…

 _Jhin!_ She shouted in her mind, her body suddenly alert and awake. She jolted, but was restrained. Her arms and legs had been tied tightly against the four bedposts and she had been stripped down to her bare skin. The room smelled rancid like rotting flesh. Her eyes began to focus. She looked around. Dozens of clippings of women dressed the walls. Scattered books and metal tools laid out on the table in front of her. There were no windows, only wooden panels. The room was lit by a single large candle sitting on top of a few books against the dresser next to the bed where she was held down.

Then he came strolling into the room, whistling a tune, cheery as could be and locked eyes with her.

"Ah, you're awake," he sighed with relief. "I really wasn't sure how long you'd be out cold for. I didn't want to start without you."

She felt panic overcome her senses. Her heartbeat was increasing and she had no means of escape. "Do not do this." She could not control the trembling in her voice.

Jhin let out a loud cackle, clutching his stomach. He laughed a long laugh before calming down. "My dear, I do love it when you all beg."

He came over to the side of the bed, his mask just a few inches from her face, and reached out to stroke her cheek. She immediately winced and turned her head away as soon as she felt his touch. He smirked under his mask, absorbing her fear.

"Your Shen, poor boy, is probably out there looking for you right now" he breathed dreamily. "The fool probably imagines I came here on some contract, but he doesn't know the truth." He paused, letting his own anticipation build. "I just came here to draw him out, leaving just enough clues, and I knew the little bird would follow." He stroked her hair gently, sighing in satisfaction. "Here you are, practically delivered to my doorstep. You're the one I've wanted for so long."

"Why are you here, Jhin? Why have you been killing innocent women?" Akali's eyes were on fire. Fury filled her heart.

'The truth is, dear," he said, leaning in until his mouth was an inch from her ear. "I've been practicing how best to torture you, make you my best piece of work, on those other women. "

He pulled away, walking around the room, his voice grand and resolute. "Your boyfriend's idiot father wanted to let me rot in prison, but death would have been more beautiful. I got out, about to torture the man, but then, lo and behold, I heard someone had beaten me to it. In fact, it was the same boy who put me in jail too! It seems there was trouble in paradise." He paused, waiting for Akali to respond. She was silent, unwilling to show her real fear underneath.

"There is so much beauty in chaos. You see, I am a perfectionist by nature. I need _more._ So I'll just take you and send him a memento of you after I'm done."

"What in the world happened to make you this way?" she whispered sharply.

He stopped, his smile growing larger and larger underneath his mask. "My dear, have you ever created anything before?" He walked back closer towards her and sat on the rickety bed. "Have you ever made something you could call a masterpiece?"

She didn't respond, biting her lip. He noticed and let out a bored groan. "Akali, I am talking to you." He suddenly reached out with one hand and groped her exposed breasts, pinching her nipple. She yelped.

"N-no, stop!"

"You haven't, dear?" He stopped, laughing at her surprise and terror. "Well, once you start, and you get that wonderful surge of joy—that feeling—then, you will never stop. In other words, I enjoy the _thrill._ "

He reached out to the pile of metal tools and picked up a pair of razor scissors. "These are such pretty breasts." He rubbed them again and she squirmed, pulling at the ropes with all her might. "It would be such a shame to lose them." He traced her body with his scissors and stopped right before her breasts. "But I think you'll be more beautiful without such a perfect body." He then stopped, and moved down at the foot of the bed, then forcefully spread her legs.

"No!" she shouted. This couldn't happen. This shouldn't.

"Has a man ever made you feel good before? A woman? Maybe you need a lesson." He raised his scissors up high over his head, ready to plunge them.

Then, Akali spotted the shadowed figure behind Jhin and immediately recognized the red glint.

A blade stabbed right through Jhin's back. He screamed out in pain, staggering away from the bed, knocking over the candle onto the ground. The flame had begun to spread. Jhin let out an angry snarl and stood up, lunging towards the masked assailant, missing his blow. Zed turned around and knocked him hard in the back of his head, causing the man to slip to unconsciousness.

"Finally I got him." Zed turned around, but did not face Akali directly.

"If you think I am going to beg you to help me," she said calmly. "I would rather die with honor."

He scoffed, having already predicted that she would say that. "When the police arrive, if they ever do, they will see your ashes along with his." He pointed to Jhin's unconscious body, blood seeping through his clothes, slipping across the old hardwood floor. The flames were starting to grow more fierce around the room.

"Stop with your code and you can save your life tonight" he started. "Join me, and I will spare you the death you will face otherwise."

"I will never stop my code. I will never run with a betrayer."

"Then I have taken two targets tonight." With that, he vanished back into the shadows he came from.

Akali started to cough, the smoke filling her lungs. The room was getting unbearably hot. The flames started to pick at the sides of the bedsheets.

 _This is it. This is how far I shall serve the Order._

She heard Shen's voice call out to her as she closed her eyes. _I'll miss you._ She passed out.


End file.
